GRAIN growing co-operative CBH has completed its Broomehill rapid rail outloading and siding project which it says will help the international competitiveness of WA grain growers.
The Broomehill project consists of a new 2.1-kilometre rail siding, adjacent to the mainline to enable rapid loading of longer trains at Broomehill and provide a passing loop in the Albany Zone allowing for a third train to operate. The trains will be loaded via a 4,400-tonne equivalent fixed rail loading facility.
The new loading facility can load a 60-wagon train (approx. 3,600 tonnes) without disrupting the mainline, within four hours. Previously, only 30 wagons could be loaded at Broomehill, which would take 11 hours, requiring multiple shunts that would disrupt the mainline.
In a CBH media release on 4 February, CBH Chief Executive Officer Ben Macnamara heralded the new project as a gamechanger for the Albany Zone, creating benefits across the whole CBH network.
“I would like to thank the State and Federal governments for their investment through the Agricultural Supply Chain Improvements (ASCI) Program. This is a critical program aimed at improving the efficiency of the WA freight rail network and supports regional communities by improving safety and infrastructure for the benefit of growers and the whole Western Australian economy,” Mr Macnamara said.
“The Broomehill rapid rail outloading and siding project will provide greater flexibility within our supply chain, delivering more tonnes to port via rail and reducing trucks on roads.
“The efficiencies we will gain are significant: bigger trains will be able to be loaded in less than half the time, and with a rail passing loop being built, we have the option to run additional train sets in the Albany Zone.
“Transporting more grain on rail will not only increase the international competitiveness of WA grain growers, but also improve safety outcomes for Western Australian regional communities.”
Broomehill is the third rail siding built at CBH sites which has been funded in partnership with the Western Australian and Commonwealth Governments under Package 1 of the ASCI Program. Rail sidings have been completed at Brookton (August 2023) and Konnongorring (November 2024).
Broomehill though is the first of these projects to have a state-of-the-art fixed loading facility constructed to complement the rail siding. The Cranbrook siding and loading facility is the next of these projects under way and forecast to be completed in the second half of this year.
“Rapid rail outloading and siding projects like Broomehill play an essential part of CBH’s network investment,” Mr Macnamara said.
“A high performing network and supply chain are crucial for the long-term viability of WA’s grain growers, the grain industry, and regional Western Australia.
“We have achieved our Horizon 1 target of exporting 2 million tonnes in a month when needed. We’ve now entered Horizon 2 in our ‘Path to 2033’ Strategy, which sets a target of being able to export 2.5 million tonnes monthly as required – and the outcomes provided by rapid rail outloading and siding projects like Broomehill are critical to achieve this.”
